Knight in Black Armour
by diamond-helen
Summary: An unlikely hero rescues Hermione from unwanted advances, where will it lead? Birthday fic for LoveHGSS.
1. Chapter 1

_Birthday fic for the lovely, wonderful and super talented LoveHGSS, Happy Birthday! _

_This is in 2 parts, the second will follow in a day or so._

_Special thanks to the brilliant Clover Bay for looking this over for me, you're a star._

Hermione sighed and resisted the urge to bang her head onto the long wooden desk in front of her. The lecture theatre was stiflingly hot, and far too closely packed with people for her to reach her wand and cast a cooling charm on her person. Her discomfort was added to by the fact that the man on her right was sweating profusely, and from the smell of him had never come across either Muggle deodorant or freshening charms. To her left was a woman who reeked of cheap perfume, the scent of which was only marginally better than the stale sweat from the man on her other side. To make matters worse the woman had been sighing dreamily and squealing slightly for the entire hour and a half lecture.

All this may have been bearable if it wasn't for the fact that the lecture in question was absolute drivel. The title and summary on the conference timetable had been intriguing, and while the paper the lecture related to had been vague in places Hermione had assumed this was so that the writer didn't give too much of his ideas and work away. As it turned out it was because he seemed to know nothing about the complex, difficult and delicate task of utilising charms in potions. When done correctly they could enhance the potency of the brew, significantly lengthen the shelf life of potions and even offer huge short cuts in brewing time. However it was so hard to get right that hardly anyone used them, even the most experienced Potion's Masters ruined almost half of the potions they tried to charm. Since the process of charming potions was consuming all of Hermione's thought at present she had hoped for something that might trigger a thought process which would help lead to a breakthrough.

Instead she was suffering through terrible puns, lewd innuendo and no actual substance at all. Most Hogwarts third years could have given her the same information that she was getting from this lecture, and then she would've been saved the irritation of the speaker's extensive fan club.

It seemed that Hermione was the only person in the entire room who saw that the man was a fraud. Everyone else was fooled by his dark hair, bright blue eyes and Irish accent. Kieran O'Connell had risen to prominence with a breakthrough in the brewing of Wolfsbane, although there had been persistent rumours that he had stolen the research from a fellow apprentice. He had capitalised on the media attention by beginning a relationship with the daughter of one of Spain's most prominent Wizarding families, and since then had flitted from wealthy beautiful woman to wealthy beautiful woman. There had been talks and seminars and books, but for the most part the public wanted his face, not his mind, and the lack of actual intellectual ability had been ignored altogether.

All this had made Hermione wary of attending his session at the conference, but she had assumed that the most respected Magical Research Conference in Europe, if not the world, would only allow speakers who had some level of capability in their field and wouldn't fall victim to a pretty face and high media profile.

How wrong she had been.

Her irritation grew as they moved from O'Connell's terrible lecture to questions from the audience. Not one person asked an insightful or even relevant question about the lecture or his research, instead giggling fan girls sighed and asked about his love life and whether he used conditioner on his hair.

Finally she got to the point where she couldn't cope for a moment longer, and raised her own hand.

"Miss Granger, what would you like to ask Mr O'Connell?" the facilitator asked.

Hermione smirked slightly, grateful for once that she had one of the most recognised faces in the Wizarding world.

"I was wondering if Mr O'Connell would care to expand on the point made in both his paper and very briefly in his speech today about the method he has found which stabilises potions when they are being charmed, and led, so he stated earlier, to his being able to charm Wolfsbane so that it halved the brewing time, and being able to do this five consecutive times without ruining a single batch of potion, a previously unheard of achievement. While he states he has done this, there is no evidence, and Mr O'Connell remains rather coy about how he managed to get such incredible results. So I ask him, what is this method of stabilisation you have used?"

O'Connell flushed slightly, opening and closing his mouth several times.

"Well, you see, the correct way of stabilising means brewing in, no sorry, with. That is to say it is necessary for, um..." he tailed off, looking in desperation to the facilitator.

"Ahem. Yes, I'm terribly sorry Miss Granger but we've run out of time for questions. Mr O'Connell will be available after dinner to sign copies of his latest book _How to Stir Your Cauldron. _For now, I think a round of applause for Mr O'Connell."

Hermione sighed once more as the room burst into cheers and applause, her suspicions that O'Connell was Lockhart all over again sadly confirmed.

She made her way through the crowds of people and headed towards one of the bars, intending to get a glass of wine before dinner and hopefully find some decent conversation. Her progress was halted by a hand grasping her upper arm. Turning, she found herself looking into the blue eyes of Kieran O'Connell, a slightly seedy smile on his face.

"Miss Granger, it was such a shame I wasn't able to answer your question fully in the session. Perhaps we could continue the discussion over dinner?" He stepped closer to her, his eyes running the length of her body clad in a blue dress, his gaze lingering particularly on the cut of the sweetheart neckline, the shape flattering her figure and clinging to her curves. His hand had not released her arm, and he began to stroke his palm down her skin. "I think dinner in my suite would be ideal for our, discussion." His gaze swept over her once more, making her feel slightly nauseous. "There's also a wonderful view from the balcony. Would you care to join me?"

Hermione had opened her mouth to refuse when another voice spoke for her.

"Unfortunately Miss Granger has already promised to dine with me this evening."

Hermione and O'Connell turned to the new speaker as one, the almost identical looks of surprise on their faces betraying that Hermione knew no more of her supposed dinner plans than O'Connell did. She recovered quickly and smiled at her rescuer.

"Yes, I'm terribly sorry but I have plans." With that she placed her hand gently on the other man's elbow and allowed herself to be led away, leaving O'Connell gaping after her as his planned latest conquest walked off with none other than Severus Snape.


	2. Chapter 2

_AN I know that I said this would be in 2 parts, but this part has run away with me. A third part will follow, hopefully by the end of the week._

"Miss Granger, will there be a point in time when I do not have to rescue you in some form?" Although the words were as biting as ever the tone lacked some of ice she had grown accustomed to over her school years, and his lips were quirked up in the beginnings of a smile.

"You're quite the knight in shining armour. If black armour can shine, that is," she replied, her hand squeezing his arm where it rested, her eyes dancing with amusement.

"I'm sure, with the proper application of polish, black armour can shine as well as the traditional silver." The smile widened a fraction.

They walked in silence to the door, Hermione's eyebrows raising as Severus waved a hand at himself, altering his black robes into a long black coat.

"Do you mind Italian?" He asked as he led her out of the door and into Muggle London.

"Erm, that's fine, but you don't really have to have dinner with me, if you don't want to."

He raised an eyebrow at her and continued to walk.

"Miss Granger, if I have to suffer through another meal being either patronized or pandered to I will not be held responsible for my actions. You have shown a modicum of intelligence over the years, I believe that dining with you should be tolerable."

Hermione laughed. "I'd be deeply offended if anyone but you said that. As it is I'll take it as a complement. And I will admit that my alternative evening plans involved hiding in my room."

Severus smirked as he pushed open the door to a small restaurant, only a dozen or so tables scattered across the room. "Then you should be grateful that I rescued you from a dull evening, as well as from the lecherous fool O'Connell."

Hermione took her seat and looked over her menu for a moment before responding. "I take it you're unimpressed with O'Connell then?"

"Miss Granger,"

"Hermione." She interrupted. "It feels too strange to have you calling me Miss Granger when we're having dinner."

He smirked at her. "Very well, Hermione, call me Severus. As I was saying, I had my doubts about him, anyone as interested in celebrity as he is gives me concern, but his area of so-called research coincides with an area which interests me so I risked it. I regret it now, ninety minutes of posturing followed by simpering fools asking questions is enough to try anyone's patience."

Hermione smiled. "And you're not exactly know for your patience to start with."

"Quite."

"I agree though, I think I find the fawning idiots more trying than O'Connell himself."

"I was amused by your question. You must've known he couldn't possibly answer it."

She smirked, the look reminiscent of the dark man opposite. "Of course I knew, that was why I asked."

"How Slytherin of you."

Hermione laughed, silently acknowledging the compliment.

"Apart from O'Connell, are you enjoying the conference?" she asked.

"It has been satisfactory. I know what to expect, having been attending these frequently over the years. And yourself?"

"It's the first one I've been to, and it's not been an useful as I'd hoped. I went to a session on the nature of charms, and one on the interaction of potions ingredients, but neither told me anything I didn't know or couldn't have found in a library book."

Severus nodded. "It's a skill, working out which talks ad seminars are worth going to, and which aren't. Unfortunately only experience really helps." His dark eyes gleamed with amusement. "May I suggest you try 'Magic Chemistry – How Muggle Science can help develop Potions' tomorrow?"

Hermione smiled at him. "I was intending to, but I heard the person giving that session had a reputation for being easily angered and snarky, and detests people asking questions. Actually, that he detests people in general."

Severus laughed, startling Hermione who had been unsure if she was pushing the boundaries too far.

"I don't detest people in general. Just stupid people. And people who fawn over me. And most Gryffindors."

"Only most Gryffindors? Severus, I'm shocked."

"Obviously only most," he drawled, "or I wouldn't be sat here with you, would I?"

"No, I suppose not. I'm hugely flattered that you can bear to be in my presence then," she teased lightly, inwardly amazed at how easy it was to talk to him like this.

"Oh, I think you're more than just bearable, Miss Granger."

She shivered at the timbre of his voice, his use of her student title making her blush inexplicably.

Severus sat for a moment and enjoyed the blush on her cheeks and the heat that had flashed in her eyes. He was amused that his words and tone had flustered her so easily, glad that he had made the unusually spontaneous decision to ask her to dinner. He maintained the silence as a waiter took their order, then spoke again.

"What brings you to the conference anyway? I wasn't aware that you were involved in research."

Hermione sighed, glad that the conversation had steered back to surer ground.

"Yes, I work for the Ministry Research and Development Department, in the potions team."

Severus grimaced. "Why, for Merlin's sake? Lawding is an incompetent fool, and the research they do in that damn department is sloppy and ineffectual at best. Plus I'd bet most of what I own that you spend your time doing basic prep work and writing up others notes, rather than actual research. Furthermore I wouldn't be at all surprised if the only reason you're at this conference is because they had to send someone from the Ministry and no one else could be arsed attending." His voice had dropped to a low hiss by the time he finished speaking, his eyes flashing with righteous anger on her behalf.

Hermione slumped in her seat. "You're exactly right, about all of it, but I didn't have a lot of choice. The research world is inhabited by bigoted idiots, I've found."

"Your blood," Severus began.

"No," she cut him off, "Not my blood, my gender. I had to go to the States to find a Potions Master who would take a female apprentice, but I didn't want to stay there once I had my Mastery. So I came back to England, and found that the only place I could get a research job was the Ministry, and even then not on the merit of my abilities but so that they could say they have all three of the Golden Trio working for them." Her facial expression spoke volumes as to what she thought of this.

"There is a Potions Master in Britain who would have accepted you as an apprentice. Me."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "I sent an application to you, which went entirely unacknowledged. That's why I was so surprised when you rescued me and brought me to dinner."

Severus scowled, the expression nearly sending the waiter running back to kitchens, as he had chosen precisely that moment to bring their food.

"That meddling old bastard. After the war I told Dumbledore I intended to retire from my teaching post to devote more of my time to research. He gave me a lecture on how teaching was a noble calling and the development of young minds was essential, etcetera, etcetera. I agreed that it was, which is why I was going to take an apprentice and actually be able to impart knowledge rather than spending three quarters of my time stopping ineffectual idiots blowing themselves up. I didn't receive any applications for apprenticeships that year or the three following. I assumed that the media interest in my past and the confirmation that I had indeed been a Death Eater, albeit also a spy, combined with my reputation for being a snarky git had frightened people off. Trying to pursue research full time without any assistance would be futile, so I have remained at Hogwarts. It seems reasonable to assume that he was interfering with my post to achieve that outcome."

Hermione bristled, her anger at his fate outweighing her depression at her own.

"How dare he?" She growled, every inch the lioness. "Hasn't he meddled with your life quite enough without denying you this after all you've done. I've half a mind to track the old sod down and give him a piece of my mind."

"While your fury on my behalf is appreciated I don't think that would do much good, he would merely twinkle at you and give some guff about the greater good. Suffice to say that I would've at least interviewed you for the post, and I wasn't ignoring you." He paused for a beat before continuing. "Incidentally, has anyone ever told you that your beautiful when you're angry?"

Hermione blushed again, sputtering incoherently before turning her attention to the plate in front of her. Severus smirked, thoroughly amused and intrigued by how easy it was to reduce the usually articulate and confidant witch to a stammering mess with just a handful of pretty words.

They ate in companionable silence, exchanging a few words on their food but generally enjoying the good food and the quiet after the hectic and noisy conference.

Severus insisted on paying, then led her out of the restaurant, his hand on the small of her back as he guided her through the door. He took her arm once more, clearly reading her confusion at his chivalrous behaviour. He knew his flirting was throwing her off balance, and he was enjoying the experience. She was feisty, intelligent and beautiful, the perfect combination for him. He didn't know where he stood with her, hell, he didn't even know if she was single, but nothing ventured would lead to nothing gained, and she would be a wonderful gain.

Their path back to the conference centre took them past a small bar, the sounds of live jazz floating out of the open door. Hermione hesitated then turned to Severus with a smile.

"Tell me if I'm crossing lines, but would you like a drink?" she asked, gesturing to the bar.

He smirked, glad that she was making the next move and nodded.

"To hell with lines. Lead the way."

She smiled at him and turned to go into the bar, her hips already swaying with the beat of the music. Severus smiled as he followed, thinking that rescuing her was the best decision he had made in a while.


	3. Chapter 3

_Um, so I lied. Again. This is now part three of four (it's not my fault, please don't hurt me!). These two will insist on having a plot so need another chapter to tie it all up. Sorry! _

_Enjoy this one and review and cross your fingers that I get another chapter out over the weekend. : )_

Hermione walked to the bar, aware that she had raised the stakes in the strange dance they seemed to be engaged in this evening. It had taken her a while to reconcile her memories of her acerbic and harsh Potions Professor with the darkly handsome and amusing man she had just had dinner with. They were changing all the rules, moving beyond their previous preconceptions of each other, and Hermione wasn't entirely sure where it was going. What she did know was that she very much wanted to find out.

Having bought drinks she crossed to the table Severus had located in a back corner, and handed him his drink. He took a sip and smiled at her.

"How did you know what I drink?"

Hermione laughed. "What else would you drink but bitter?"

He glared at her for a moment then snorted. "I suppose you have a point."

Hermione smiled and sipped her red wine, her eyes focusing on the jazz band playing on the stage. Her free hand tapped the beat on the table, her body swaying to the music. Severus watched her, mesmerised by the way she moved, even sat down. He took her glass off her then pulled her to her feet.

"Dance with me."

Hermione was unsure if it was a request or an instruction to dance, but allowed him to lead her to the small dance floor and join the handful of other couples swaying to the music. He pulled her close to him, his free hand sliding to the curve of her waist as he moved to the beat. Hermione slid her hand up his arm, before letting it rest on his shoulder. They swayed together, their feet shuffling slightly, getting a feeling for the rhythm and each other. Hermione relaxed into the music and let Severus guide her as the danced, his arms strong as he twirled her around, Hermione remembering the swing steps she had learnt as a child, laughing as they moved, nothing in her world but Severus and the music.

The song reached its peak with a fast instrumental, and Severus matched it, spinning her out and in again without missing a beat. She stumbled as the song ended, falling into his chest, the hand not clasped in his pressed against his body. His arms slipped around her waist, holding her to him as she regained her balance. She steadied herself but made no move to pull away as a new song began, this one much slower.

Severus rested his hands on the curve of her waist, holding her close as her head dropped to rest on his shoulder.

"You're full of surprises tonight," Hermione murmured as they moved together. "Where did you learn to dance like that?"

He chuckled softly, the noise rumbling through him, causing Hermione to shiver in his arms as she felt rather than heard his laughter.

"It is expected in Pureblood circles that one is able to dance, and dance well. The path my life took meant that it was essential I could compete with the most polished of aristocrats on any level, and that included dancing. Also, I hate to be second best at things." There was a thread of amusement in his tone as he spoke the last sentence, showing that he was aware the same could be said of the woman in his arms.

Hermione looked up at the complex man currently holding her close. She wasn't sure that a lifetime, or even ten, would really be enough to explore and understand the nuances of this man, but she was sure that her school girl view of him had been very wrong.

She slid her hands from their resting places on his shoulders and twisted her arms about his neck. She knew her next move would change the rules of the game they were playing again, but she couldn't resist. He had charmed, enthralled and amused her as the evening wore on, and she knew she wanted more. A man who could dance, was intelligent, and challenged her with every other thing he said was a man worth gambling on.

She gently pulled down on his neck, leaning up as she did so, and pressed her lips to his.

Her kiss was tentative and chaste, as if unsure that it wouldn't result in him dropping her on her arse and marching off in disgust. She pulled away, her eyes searching his face for a sign her advances were welcome. He responded to the uncertainty painted across her face by pulling her tighter against him and kissing her. His kiss was slow, gentle yet still passionate. He slid his tongue past her plump lips and into her mouth, exploring and tasting, coaxing her to taste and explore in return. He kissed her for several endless moments before she pulled back, the need for oxygen driving them apart. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as they stood in one another's arms, dancing forgotten. She looked into his eyes and gasped at the heat there, almost hot enough to burn.

He pulled her to him, her body pressed against his, feeling what she did to him. He began to dance again, their bodies rocking to the music, sliding against each other, every movement heightening both their desires. They danced and kissed and danced, song sliding into song as they lost themselves in the moment, the music and each other.

Eventually Hermione stepped back from him, before turning round and weaving through the dancers to their abandoned table. Ignoring the barely touched drinks she grabbed her bag and his coat, and walked back to him. She handed him the coat and caught his hand in hers, leading him to the door. Severus smirked as he was practically dragged out of the bar and in the direction of the conference centre.

He caught Hermione round the waist and pushed her against the wall of a building, kissing her hard and passionately before tugging her along again, leaving her breathless and contemplating yet another side to Severus Snape. She would never have had him down as the kind of man who would press her up against a wall and kiss her senseless.

By the time they reached their building they were breathless, having dragged each other along the street. They moved through reception, not sparing a glance at the handful of delegates who were milling around, confusion etched across their faces as Severus Snape and Hermione Granger dashed to the lifts.

The silver doors had barely shut behind them before Severus pushed her against the wall and kissed her, his lips moving down her throat and nipping at her collar bone.

She tangled her hands in his dark hair and pulled his mouth back to her own, pressing herself against his lean body, moulding her soft curves to his slim muscles.

The lift stopped at their floor and Severus caught her hand, hurrying down the corridor to his room. He waved his wand at the door, not bothering to stop and use the plastic key the Muggle conference centre had provided.

He kicked the door shut behind them and pulled her close. He kissed her eyelids, her cheeks, her nose, his lips dancing across her skin, scattering the very lightest of kisses on her face. He continued to place the teasing kisses on her neck, her shoulders, down towards the line of her dress. The gentle caresses of his lips were a stark contrast to the fire and desperation he had kissed her with previously, and the evidence of the ever changing facets of him fuelled her desire even further.

His hands drifted to the ties on her dress, deftly undoing them and pushing the fabric off her and to the floor. He pulled her against him and kissed her, his tongue sliding against hers, their bodies grinding together, not a sliver of space between them. She mimicked his actions, pushing his heavy coat from his shoulders to fall to the floor by her dress. Her hands made quick work of the buttons of his shirt, the cloth fluttering to the growing pile of discarded garments. She ran her hands down his chest, her fingers tracing the scars there, her lips following their path.

Severus began to walk them towards the bed before swinging her into his arms and tossing her onto it.

"Severus!" Hermione laughed as she landed on the soft mattress, before reaching her hand out and drawing him to her. He covered her slight figure with his own, his mouth returning to hers. They kissed lingeringly as their hands explored, learning each others' bodies as clothes fell unheeded to the floor.

After several long kisses they lay together, his body cradled by hers, his fingers gently caressing her cheek.

"You're beautiful," he murmured, kissing her once more.

She smiled in response, and lifted her hips to his, needing him to be within her, to finish this dance they had begun when he rescued her.

Severus chucked at her eagerness but complied with her wordless command, pushing into her body, moaning at the feel of her surrounding him. Hermione gasped as he stilled, holding himself in her, her eyes locked onto hers. She shifted her hips, needing him to move, to drive her to the heights she knew he could. He thrust into her, his dark eyes glittering as she met his every move, their bodies sliding against each other in this perfect, ancient dance.

Once again the world reduced to just the two of them, a perfect moment timeless and endless, suspended from reality. All that existed were each other as they pushed the other's body to perfection, to completion.

"Severus!" Hermione cried, her eyes still locked on his. "So close, please, please."

He thrust harder, faster, desperate to give her what she wanted. She came with a scream, the syllables of his name torn from her mouth. The feel of her coming apart around him pulled him over the edge.

"Hermione," he gasped as he followed her into bliss.

He rolled onto his back, pulling her with him so she was curled against him. Hermione smiled, even after the revealing evening she'd spent with him she would never have guessed he was the cuddling type.

He pressed a kiss into her hair and let himself drift to sleep as she snuggled into him and floated into dreamland.


	4. Chapter 4

_This is actually the last part. I hope you have all enjoyed it, thank you for each and every review, alert and favourite. Thanks to Clover Bay for casting an eye over this._

Hermione groaned as she woke and stretched, her body aching deliciously. She rolled over to find the man who had caused the sensations, only to find the empty apart from her. She frowned, wondering why he would've just left her in him room alone.

She sat up and looked around, hoping to find a reason for her unexpected solitude. She smirked as her eyes landed on the clock, which told her it was fifteen minutes until his seminar started, which probably explained his absence, although not why he hadn't woken her to tell her he was leaving, especially as she now had to rush, and he knew she was wanting to attend.

She scrambled out of the bed and pulled on her underwear then grabbed her dress. She laughed to herself as a piece of parchment fluttered to the floor. She snatched it up, picked up her shoes and wand from where they had landed the previous evening and slipped out of the door and back to her own room.

A glance at her watch showed that she only had ten minutes until the seminar started, and she didn't want to be late so she decided to cast cleansing charms rather than shower properly.

_Maybe I can tempt Severus into showering with me later_ she thought to herself with a wicked grin.

She pulled on a fresh blouse and trousers, calmed her wild hair as much as possible and grabbed some parchment and a quill before running for the lift, dropping into a spare seat with a couple of minutes until the seminar was due to start.

She glanced around and saw that no one was paying her any attention, so she pulled the parchment Severus had left her from a pocket and began to read.

_Hermione,_

_My apologies for not waking you, but I had a feeling you would distract me somewhat and I cannot afford to be late today, or there will be no seminar. I'm sure you wouldn't want the interruption of people's learning on your conscience._

_I enjoyed last night, perhaps you could join me for dinner one evening soon?_

_Severus._

Hermione sighed as she folded the note back up and returned it to her pocket. It was an odd little note, in parts curiously formal, yet still with hints of the dry humour she had discovered and found so appealing the night before. In all honesty she wasn't sure what to make of it, or exactly where it left them.

She wasn't even sure where she wanted it to be left. She couldn't deny that she had enjoyed herself last night. Severus was charming, funny, and incredible in bed. She knew she was attracted to him on several levels but was unsure as to what could come of anything between them. Was the conference a sort of suspended reality, where they were almost equals? Would attempting anything under the inevitable scrutiny of not only their friends and family but most of Wizarding England thanks to the media, be nothing short of disastrous? Maybe she was being too forward, and he didn't want to pursue anything, the vague mention of dinner merely a polite way of ending the letter. Maybe last night was all he had wanted anyway.

She shook her head to clear it of the whirlwind of thoughts. She was getting carried away, and right now it was Severus' presentation, not the man himself, that needed to be her focus.

She smiled to herself as Severus swept into the room, his mere presence enough to inspire a deathly quiet. He began to talk, and she scribbled pages of notes as she listened, enthralled, as he spoke of the properties and processes of Muggle chemistry and how they could be used to stabilise potions. He spoke of how charming ingredients before brewing them could lead to dangerous explosions, but that the nature of the ingredients could be subtly but significantly altered using Muggle methods. He went on to explain that this only worked for ingredients which weren't inherently magical in themselves but that it allowed for the potions to then have charms cast on them, increasing their potency, shelf life or reducing brewing time.

He then began to critique his research, acknowledging the limitations but talking about possibilities for expansions.

Suddenly Hermione gasped, drawing the attention of the people nearest to him. She turned her parchment over and began to write furiously, only half listening to the intelligent and probing questions that were asked, a far cry from the idiotic simpering that had been addressed to O'Connell just yesterday.

The session drew to a close, people filing neatly of the room, some stopping to speak briefly with Severus as they left. Hermione continued to write, equations and notes filling the page, some of it drawn from Severus' own points, some her own thoughts.

"Hermione?" His dark voice questioned from close by. She looked up to find him stood next to her. "About last night,"

"Can we talk about that later?" she interrupted, not wanting to be distracted from her thought process.

Hurt flashed across Severus' face before he schooled his features and turned away. The moment of emotion was clear to Hermione, and she gripped his arm, rising to her feet and tugging on his arm so he faced her.

"Severus. I had a wonderful night, and I do want to talk about it, but I had a thought while you were speaking and I really want to discuss that first." She ran one palm down his black clad chest and leant closer, her voice dropping. "I just don't want to get distracted again," she smirked.

Severus smirked back at her and inclined his head.

"Very well, what do you want to discuss?"

Hermione skimmed her eyes down her parchment then began to speak.

"It seems to me that the key of your research is that using Muggle chemistry to stabilise the magic allows it to be charmed later, because it overloads the magic to charm the ingredient and then charm the potion?"

Severus nodded.

"But it doesn't work with ingredients that are from inherently magically plants or animals because they are too magical to use the Muggle methods, and they are unstable to charm?"

He nodded again.

"Have you considered that the magic inherent in the brewer is adding to the overload? And that it might be possible for magical ingredients to be charmed and then added to a potion if the potion were being actually made by a Muggle or a Squib?"

Severus stared at her for a moment then grabbed the parchment, his eyes running down her notes and rough equations.

He dropped parchment onto the desk and pulled her into his arms, kissing her hard and passionately.

"You little genius. Of course, it might not work, I don't believe anyone has ever looked at exactly how necessary it is for Potion brewers to be magical, but it has potential. And if it did work..."

They gazed at each other, a world of possibilities opening up before them.

"The difference this could make." Hermione breathed.

Severus looked at her for a long moment, as if weighing up several options before he spoke.

"How much do you like your job?"

She frowned for a moment, confused at the change of subject.

"I hate it. You were right last night when you said that I do all the work and they take the credit. Why?"

"Leave."

Hermione laughed. "It's not that simple. I can't just stop working."

"I'm not telling you to stop working, I'm asking you to stop working for them."

"Severus, I don't understand."

He tilted her head back and kissed her quickly.

"It is my intention to resign my teaching post tomorrow morning, given what you told me last night. I refuse to let that man control my life any longer. I want to continue this research I've started, as well as a few other lines I have been working on over the years. However, this is your breakthrough, and it should be you who continues this."

She looked at him, still unsure what exactly he was asking.

"Would you consider the possibility of working with me, and trying to further this research?"

Hermione bit her lip, over whelmed at what he was offering.

"I don't know. I hate my job, and I would love to focus on the research I want to do, instead of spending my days pickling beetles and trying to do research in the evenings. But I also want to feel what you made me feel last night, I want to go to dinner with the charming, funny, sexy man I spent my evening with."

"Does it have to be an either/or situation?" Severus asked, his eyes glittering with desire.

"I don't know. Can we work together and have a relationship?"

"I don't see why not. I like the idea of you being in my lab all day and my bed all night." He pulled her close and kissed her again.

Hermione moaned against his lips, entranced at the idea of working with him and furthering the ideas currently scrawled on a piece of parchment, and enthralled at the possibility of more of the spark he created within her.

She pulled back softly.

"Yes."

He smiled at her as he stepped back.

"Very well, Miss Granger. I believe we both have business to attend to tomorrow, so, dinner?"

Hermione grinned and nodded. She turned back to the desk and scribbled something on the edge of the parchment before tearing it off and handing it to him as she passed.

"My address," she said as explanation. "Pick me up at seven?"

He bowed slightly, smirking. "As my lady commands."

She giggled as she walked away, hyper aware of his eyes locked onto the wiggle of her hips. She ignored the temptation to turn back and drag him off to bed. There would be a lifetime for that, hopefully, but write now she had a resignation to write, and a future to begin.


End file.
